Finance panel visits flood-affected Muktsar

Interacting with residents of Khokhar,Haraaz and Udaikaran villages,professor Abhijit Sen,a member of the finance commission and chairman of the Agriculture Committee of the Planning Commission of India (PCI),assured them that he would recommend to the PCI chairman to depute a high-level team to assess the damage caused to crops,houses and physical infrastructure,especially roads and power grid stations,due to the recent floods.

He said the PCI had already sent a team — led by its member and expert on water resources professor Mihir Shah,who had submitted a detailed report on the issue.

Sen said it was an established fact that the flooding in the region was also a result of waterlogging. He assured Badal that the Shah committee would revisit the affected areas.

The Chief Minister thanked Reddy,who termed the waterlogging crisis an unusual phenomenon and assured him that the commission would do its best to help the state government.

Badal said that the centuries-old drainage system was crumbling and the need of the hour was to revamp it,for which the Centre should come forward with substantial financial assistance. He urged the commission to convince the Centre to send a team of experts on hydrology and drainage who could address the problem of waterlogging besides revamping the entire drainage system in the state.

Regarding the substantial loss farmers had suffered,the Chief Minister said that he had personally invited the commission to visit them. Badal said the migration of people from villages on a massive scale due to floods was another cause of concern.

Replying to a query,Sen said the PCI fully endorsed the proposal for agriculture diversification and promised to recommend to the Centre to fund the programme.

Earlier,the commission,accompanied by Chief Minister,visited the damaged 132 KV Power Grid at Sarai Naga village and 220 KV Power Grid at Muktsar.